International
Colombia: President Petro’s son does not accept charges of illicit enrichment and money laundering
August 2|
The son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro did not accept on Tuesday the charges of illicit enrichment and money laundering of which he has been accused by judicial authorities.
Nicolás Petro rejected the charges in a hearing in which the Attorney General’s Office set out the elements against him.
The son of the head of state was captured on Saturday in Barranquilla, a city in the north of the country. His ex-wife, Daysuris del Carmen Vásquez, was also arrested that day.
Nicolás Petro – who serves as a deputy of the Departmental Assembly of Atlántico, in northern Colombia – is accused by judicial authorities of having illegally increased his wealth.
The investigation by the Attorney General’s Office began after allegations by his ex-wife, who claimed that she had received money for her father’s presidential campaign but kept those resources for herself.
The Attorney General’s Office exposed on Tuesday that the illegal increase in the assets of the president’s son would have reached $270,000 in 2022, the same year of the campaign in which his father won the head of state.
In the hearing the prosecutor in charge of the case, Mario Andrés Burgos, made a comparison between Nicolás Petro’s income in his work as departmental assemblyman and the expenses he had last year and concluded that he earned around $71,000 but his expenses amounted to about $308,000. According to Burgos, the Attorney General’s Office found no other income declared by Nicolás Petro nor financial credits that would justify that level of spending.
At the same time he exposed the allegations made by his ex-wife before the investigating entity. According to these accusations, Nicolás Petro would have received around $270,000, in different payments, from Samuel Santander Lopesierra, convicted in Colombia and who served a prison sentence in the United States for crimes related to drug trafficking.
Lopesierra is running for mayor of Maicao in La Guajira, in the north of the country, in an election next October.
According to Vasquez’s allegations, her ex-husband also allegedly received money from Alfonso del Cristo “El Turco” Hilsaca through his son, Gabriel Hilsaca. “El turco” Hilsaca is being prosecuted for homicide and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Both payments, according to the president’s former daughter-in-law, were for Gustavo Petro’s presidential campaign, but according to prosecutor Burgos, Nicolás Petro “never” delivered that money but bought goods. Through these acquisitions -according to the Attorney General’s Office-, the president’s son would have sought to “give the appearance of legality” to the money received, which would constitute the crime of money laundering.
Now the judge in charge of the case must decide whether or not to grant the preventive detention requested by the Attorney General’s Office.
International
China calls for dialogue amid rising Iran-Israel conflict
The Chinese government emphasized on Monday the importance of “creating the conditions to return to the proper path of dialogue” between Iran and Israel, which have exchanged attacks in recent days resulting in more than 20 Israeli and over 220 Iranian deaths.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun expressed deep concern at a press conference over the Israeli attacks on Iran and the “sudden escalation” of the military conflict.
Guo called on all parties to “take immediate measures to ease tensions and prevent the region from descending into further turmoil,” stating that “force cannot bring lasting peace.”
“If the conflict between Israel and Iran continues to intensify or even expand, the countries of the Middle East will be the first to suffer the consequences,” he added, while noting that China “will continue to maintain communication with the relevant parties, promoting peace and dialogue.”
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke last Saturday with his Iranian and Israeli counterparts to condemn the Israeli airstrike on Iranian territory, which he described as a “violation of international law” with the potential to trigger “disastrous” consequences.
In both calls, Wang reiterated China’s rejection of the use of force, defended diplomacy as the only solution to the Iranian nuclear dispute, and offered China’s mediation to prevent further destabilization in the Middle East.
International
Suspect arrested in killing of Minnesota legislator and husband, governor Says
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced on Sunday the arrest of Vance Luther Boelter, 57, the main suspect in the killing of Democratic legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband in a Brooklyn Park suburb on Friday night.
Boelter, who also reportedly shot State Senator John Hoffman and his wife early Saturday morning, was apprehended in Sibley County following an intensive manhunt involving hundreds of law enforcement officers.
In a public statement, Governor Walz condemned Boelter’s “unthinkable actions,” which resulted in the death of a woman who “shaped the core of who we are as a state.”
“We cannot become numb to this. We are a deeply divided nation,” Walz said in a statement posted on his X account.
“We move forward not with hatred or violence, but with humility, grace, and civility,” he added.
Expressing solidarity with the victims’ families, Walz said the entire state of Minnesota is in mourning. He also thanked law enforcement for their bravery and professionalism: “They have saved lives,” he emphasized.
“As we heal, we will not let fear win,” Walz concluded. “We must honor Melissa by moving forward with understanding, service, and above all, humanity.”
Throughout Sunday, police and sheriff units searched a rural area in Minnesota for Vance Luther Boelter, a security company director and preacher who, according to Governor Walz, acted out of politically motivated violence.
International
40,000 tourists stranded in Israel amid airspace shutdown over Iran conflict
Approximately 40,000 tourists are stranded in Israel following the closure of the country’s airspace amid escalating hostilities with Iran, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism reported on Monday.
The ministry has set up a virtual office to provide information via email (virtual@goisrael.gov.il) and phone (+972-53-583-5808), as well as a Facebook page called Israel Virtual Tourist Office.
Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz is in contact with hotels and accommodations across the country to offer support to tourists in need, the ministry added.
Many stranded travelers are considering crossing overland into Jordan or Egypt to seek flights from those countries. The Israel Airports Authority reminded the public that land border crossings remain open.
Three German tourists stranded in Jerusalem told EFE today that they have not received any assistance from their country’s embassy in Israel, and their primary option currently is to cross into Jordan to catch a flight from there.
Since early Friday morning, Israel launched operations against Iran, targeting military personnel and infrastructure, including energy and nuclear facilities, as well as numerous residential areas in Tehran.
In response, Iran has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel, some of which have struck various locations across the country, leaving at least 24 dead so far, according to Israeli authorities.
Iranian health officials report at least 224 deaths, mostly civilians, including at least 17 senior military officials—nine from the Revolutionary Guard—and more than a dozen nuclear scientists.
The Israeli military has warned that many more “targets” remain, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard declared on Monday that it will continue missile attacks against Israel until its “destruction.”
China calls for dialogue amid rising Iran-Israel conflict
Suspect arrested in killing of Minnesota legislator and husband, governor Says
40,000 tourists stranded in Israel amid airspace shutdown over Iran conflict
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